Murky Vale

High in North country lies a village in the shadow of three mountains and the sea. Sheer cliffs loom all around while the waves hide murky tidepools in the west. The ground is thin and rocky; the only thing that grows is tasteless spuds and weeds. Large seaweed forests lurk in the deep parts of the ocean, hiding fish and other creatures. What lies beyond the seaweed is unknown.

Geography

Dalna was always between the mountains. Nobody remembers how they got there anymore, or why they came in the first place. The soil is poor, the weather constantly cold and foggy. But there is no way out; three mountains block their escape; Father Mors, the largest with a beard of pine trees on his face, Mother las, a wall of damp white stone, and Wailing Daughter, an impassible mass of white rock laced with red stone. They are all too dangerous to climb, especially Wailing Daughter; the red stones are made from her tears...and the blood of men who failed to tame her.
A thin stream runs from each mountain like a river of tears. They combine in the heart of Dalna and flow into the sea, which is flush with tidepools that extend past the shallows. Tooth-like rocks jut out of the water, too close for ships to bypass. Only small canoes can slip past the natural wall, but they must be careful to avoid the many whirlpools that hide under the surface. Beyond them is a forest of seaweed, deep and murky. It is edible, but tastes foul and is too risky to harvest; sharks live in it, along with devilfish and other...things.

Fauna & Flora

Pines dot the cliffs like burs, hanging on with spiderlike roots and clawing branches. Their seeds fall hundreds of feet into the valley, grow, and are chopped into firewood by the humans below. The only flowers are the Weeping lily and Shoemaker's Daughter, which bloom in early spring. Both are white, but the lily is far more splendid than the Shoemaker's daughter. Rabbits and squirrels eat these flowers and the spuds the farmers grow, but it isn't enough. The foxes find them easily, and their little skulls are used as drinking cups in the village.
In the ocean food is plentiful; hundreds of tidepools block deep fishing but have urchins, snails, and starfish aplenty.

Natural Resources

A tasteless spud called "Monday's Meal" is grown in Dalna. It thrives in the poor soil and is the bulk of their food. Their meals are garnished with seafood and grasses gathered at or near the shore, and are heavily salted.
Wood is scarce and is used only for building and firewood.
Fox and rabbit are hunted for their fur, as there are no linens or grasses for weaving. (A bride's robe is made only of young rabbit skin while a groom wears thick fox fur.)

Alternative Name(s)

Dalna

Type

Coast / Shore